Tie means for operating handles of electrical control devices



J. CLIFFORD 3,159,043

TIE MEANS FOR OPERATING HANDLES OF ELECTRICAL. CONTROL DEVICES Dec. 1, 1964 Filed May 21, 1962 INVENTOR.

| I "'IH h l I, 'Hn" United States Patent 3,15%) TIE MEANS FOR OPERATING HANDLES GE ELECTRICAL CONTROL DEVICES Joseph Ciiiford, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, assignor to Square D Company, Park Ridge, IIL, a corporation of Michigan Filed May 21, 1%2, Ser. No. 196,371 4 Claims. (Cl. 74-491) This invention relates generally to manual operating means for electrical control devices such as circuit breakers and switches, and more particularly to a handle tie means for mechanically joining a pair of adjacent pivotable operating handles of a multi-pole control de vice for unitary operation.

When adjacent pivotable operating handles of multipole control devices are mechanically joined for opera tion as a unit, the force required to operate the two handles together sometimes becomes too great for convenience of operation, particularly when the handles are short. It therefore becomes desirable to provide means for increasing the leverage or mechanical advantage of the handle tie means. However, the leverage increasing means must not interfere with operation of adoor on an enclosure for the electrical control devices.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved handle tie means for mechanically joining a pair of adjacent pivotable operating handles of a multi-pole electrical control device.

Another object is to provide a handle tie means for adjacent pivotable operating handles of multi-pole electrical control devices, the handle tie means having lever means pivotally mounted thereon for increasing the me chanical advantage of the handle tie means thereby to facilitate the pivoting of the operating handles.

Other objects Will appear when the following specification is considered along with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary front view of a four-pole electrical circuit breaker having a pair of adjacent pivotable operating handles and having a handle tie means constructed in accordance with this invention mounted on the operating handles;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of the handle tie means of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged'fragmentary sectional View taken substantially along the line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 44 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 55 of FIGURE 1.

For illustrative purposes, FIGURES 1 and 4 show portions of a four-pole circuit breaker 1h having a composite molded casing 12. Each of the two inner poles is provided with a manual operating handle 14 having a pair of trunnions 14a pivotally mounted in recessed portions of the casing. Each handle 14 is operatively associated with a movable contact carrying arm (not shown) of its respective pole. Each of the two outer poles is provided with a handleless operator 16 having a pair of trunnions 16a pivotally mounted in recessed portions of the casing. Each operator 16 is operatively associated with a movable contact carrying arm (not shown) of its respective pole, and is keyed to the operating handle 14 of the adjacent pole by an insulated bar 18 of square cross-section.

In the embodiment of the invention shown, there is provided a generally channel-shaped handle tie member 20 having an aperture 22 (FIGURE 2) in a central portion of a bottom Wall 2% thereof. An offset and rounded inner end portion 23 of a lever means 24 is received in the aperture 22 and is pivotally secured to the nel-shaped handle tie member and the outer end face of indicated by broken lines in FIGURE 4.

3,159,048 Patented Dec. 1, 1964 handle tie member 20 by a pin 26 loosely received in an opening in the end portion 23, the opposite end portions of the pin 26 being fixedly received in respective openings extending through opposite side wall portions of the handle tie member 20 which define a channel 2%. The lever means 24 may have an offset enlarged portion 24a at its outer or free end to serve as a finger grip. Engagement of a shoulder portion 27 (FIGURE 4') of the lever means 24 With an edgeportion of the bottom wall of the channel-shaped handle tie member 20 defining the aperture 22 limits pivotal movement of the lever means, to the right as viewedin FIGURE 4, beyond the position A bifurcated return'spring 29 shown best in FIGURE 2 hasan end portion30 secured in a'suitable mannerin a transverse slot 23a in the inner end portion 23 of the lever means 24 and tends to return the lever means to the position indicated in solid lines in FIGURE 4, bifurcated end portions 32 of the spring being confined between the inner surface of the bottom wall of the'chanthe operating handles 14. q

The outer ends of the operating handles 14 are enlarged and the channel 20b is Wider at its inner end adjacent the bottom wall 20a than at its outer end so that the handle tie member 20 cannot be placed on or removed from the ends of the operating handles 14 axially of the operating handles. In the embodiment shown, the ends of the operating handles are received in the channel 20b axailly of the handle tie member 20 and from opposite ends thereof during the assembly of the four-pole circuit breaker 10. The handle tie member 20 is thus locked on the ends of the operating handles 14 in a direction axially of the handle tie member by interference be- To facilitate operation of the operating handles 14,. the lever means 24 is pivoted from the positionshown by solid lines in FIGURE 4 to the position thereof indicated by dotted lines, in which'it furnishes additional leverage for operating the handles. Upon release, the lever means 24 is returned by the spring 29 to the position indicated by solid lines in FIGURE 4, in which it will not interfere with closure of the door of an enclosure (not shown) for the circuit breaker.

Various modifications may be made in the structure shown and described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. An assembly comprising a sectional multi-pole electrical control device having an adjacent pair of operating handles mounted for pivotal movement about a common axis, an elongated generally channebshaped handle tie member mounted on the outer ends of said handles and mechanically joining said handles for operation as a unit, the outer ends of said handles and the inner end of the channel of said handle tie member being enlarged and generally complementary to prevent application and removal of said handle tie member axially of said handles perpendicularly of said pivotal axis, said outer ends of said handles respectively being slidably received in said handle tie member from the opposite ends thereof during assembly of said sectional multi-pole electrical control device and said handle tie member having interference means disposed centrally in the channel thereof between said handles to prevent removal of said handle tie member transversely of said handles, and lever means pivotally mounted on said handle tie member, said lever means furnishing additional leverage in the operation of said handles when extended generally perpendicularly to said handle tie member.

2. An assembly comprising a sectional multi-pole electrical control device having an adjacent pair of operating handles mounted for pivotal movement about a common axis, an elongated generally channel-shaped handle tie member mounted on the outer ends of said handles and mechanically joining said handles for operation as a unit, the outer ends of said handles and the inner end of the channel of said handle tie member being enlarged and generally complementary to prevent application and removal of said handle tie member axially of saidhandles perpendicularly of said pivotal axis, said outer ends of said handles respectively being slidably received in said handle tie member from the opposite ends thereof during assembly of said sectional multi-pole electrical control device and said handle tie member having interference means disposed centrally in the channel thereof between said handles to prevent removal of said handle tie member transversely of said handles, and lever means mounted on said handle tie member for pivotal movement about an axis perpendicular to said common pivotal axis of said handles, said lever means furnishing additional leverage in the operation of said handles when extended generally perpendicularly to said handle tie member.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, including a return spring normally maintaining said lever means generally parallel to said handle tie member.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein a wall of said handle tie member defining the bottom of the channel therein is apertured to receive an inner end of said lever means, and said interference means in the channel of said handle tie member between said handles includes said inner end of said lever means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. AN ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A SECTIONAL MULTI-POLE ELECTRICAL CONTROL DEVICE HAVING AN ADJACENT PAIR OF OPERATING HANDLES MOUNTED FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT A COMMON AXIS, AN ELONGATED GENERALLY CHANNEL-SHAPED HANDLES TIE MEMBER MOUNTED ON THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID HANDLES AND MECHANICALLY JOINING SAID HANDLES FOR OPERATION AS A UNIT, THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID HANDLES AND THE INNER END OF THE CHANNEL OF SAID HANDLE TIE MEMBER BEING ENLARGED AND GENERALLY COMPLEMENTARY TO PREVENT APPLICATION AND REMOVAL OF SAID HANDLE TIE MEMBER AXIALLY OF SAID HANDLES PERPENDICULARLY OF SAID PIVOTAL AXIS, SAID OUTER ENDS OF SAID HANDLES RESPECTIVELY BEING SLIDABLY RECEIVED IN SAID HANDLE TIE MEMBER FROM THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF DURING ASSEMBLY OF SAID SECTIONAL MULTI-POLE ELECTRICAL CONTROL DEVICE AND SAID HANDLE TIE MEMBER HAVING INTERFERENCE MEANS DISPOSED CENTRALLY IN THE CHANNEL THEREOF BETWEEN SAID HANDLES TO PREVENT REMOVAL OF SAID HANDLE TIE MEMBER TRANSVERSELY OF SAID HANDLES, AND LEVER MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID HANDLE TIE MEMBER, SAID LEVER MEANS FURNISHING ADDITIONAL LEVERAGE IN THE OPERATION OF SAID HANDLES WHEN EXTENDED GENERALLY PERPENDICULARLY TO SAID HANDLE TIE MEMBER. 